Press Releases

2015 Hangar Theatre Drama League Directing Fellows

June 1, 2015

2015 Hangar Theatre Drama League
Directing Fellows

Ithaca, NY – The Hangar Theatre is proud
to present the four directing fellows joining the Hangar Residency Program from
the Drama League for the 2015 season. Since 1988 the Drama League and the
Hangar Theatre have collaborated to provide a laboratory program for early and
mid-career directors to develop new skills through training and professional
development. Joining the Hangar this
summer are Paul Bedard, Aneesha Kudtarkar, Austin Regan, and Dan Rogers. These
four artistic individuals will be sharing their talents throughout the summer
by directing shows in the Hangar’s KIDDSTUFF and Wedge Series.

Paul Bedard is a New York City–based director
and activist, and he is the founder and artistic director of Theater in Asylum.
Aneesha Kudtarkar is a Dallas native now living and working in New York City
where she works primarily as a developer of new work. Austin Regan is a Flea
Theater resident director, a founding member of the Musical Theatre Factory,
and a member of Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. Assistant/associate work
includes Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera. He lives and works in New York
City. Dan Rogers is the co-founder of the Brooklyn-based AntiMatter Collective
and former general manager of the Obie Award-winning Vampire Cowboys Theater
Company. He is a graduate of the Brown/Trinity MFA Directing program.

Throughout the summer these directors
work closely with the Hangar Lab Company, teaching and directing them in and
out of the classroom. The Lab Company make up the cast of four of the five KIDDSTUFF
shows as well as the four shows in the Hangar’s experimental late night Wedge
series. The Wedge gives the Drama League Directing Fellows a safe space to
create and explore their craft with thought-provoking and exciting plays
selected by the Fellows.

The Wedge series will open with the
world premiere of Alexandra Silber’s reimagining of Greek tragedy The Trojan Women. Director Austin Regan
notes, “Alexandra Silber's harrowing adaptation of Euripides's The Trojan Women seems to me a perfect
vessel to look with clear eyes at the disintegrating and shattering effects
that perpetual war has had on our communities, our culture, and ourselves” The Trojan Women will take place June
18 & 19 under the Hangar tent after God
of Carnage.

The second show of the Wedge series will
be Maria Irene Fornes's Mud, directed
by Aneesha Kudtarkar. Mud tells the
story of Lloyd, Mae, and Henry all of whom are desperately poor and trapped by
their poverty. Kudtarkar notes the exciting challenge of doing this play under
the Hangar tent, "One of the most exciting things about The Wedge is the
outdoor space. I wanted to find a play that was challenging, but also very much
about people who are of the earth--a play that dealt with really primal issues:
desire, resentment, willfulness. I was interested in a play that dealt with the
ugly, human things we all grapple with." Mud will take place July 2 & 3 under the Hangar tent after Spring Awakening.

Paul Bedard has decided to adapt and
direct The Infernal Machine by Jean
Cocteau. This play is a unique retelling of the Oedipus myth and Bedard writes
that “Now is the time for this strange and hilarious play. It's a hard look at
the machine we all submit to: the capitalism machine, the political machine,
the entertainment machine. Now that we've made this machine, can we break it?”
The Infernal Machine will take place July 9 & 10 under the Hangar tent
after Spring Awakening.

The Wedge series will close with Dan
Rogers' production of The Crazy
Locomotive, an absurdist futurist play by the Polish painter Witkacy about
two supervillains who hijack a locomotive and turn the throttle all the way up.
“It's about the way we use technology to live on the edge, to book ourselves
ever tighter, to keep everyone updated about everything that we do, the way
that we need to take pictures of everything eat, instead of actually
experiencing it for ourselves.”

Jen Waldman, the Hangar Theatre’s
artistic director has worked closely with the Drama League to select these
participants and will be mentoring them throughout the summer. “These four
directors truly represent the future of the American theatre. They are smart.
They are inventive. And they care deeply about what theatre has to say about
the world we live in. This Wedge season is nothing shortly of exhilarating. And
it is FREE!” Wedge performances start fifteen minutes after the end of Hangar
Mainstage shows. Each performance is free to attend, but seating is limited. To
guarantee entrance, please reserve a seat by emailing Wedge@hangartheatre.org or calling
607.273.8588 x42.

The Hangar Theatreis dedicated to providing exceptional theatre experiences of high
professional quality to enrich, enlighten, educate, and entertain the diverse
audience in the Finger Lakes region and beyond. Strong educational and training
programs are central parts of our commitment to the local and national artistic
communities. Visit our website at www.HangarTheatre.org to learn more
about the Wedge and all things happening at the Hangar.